Stakeholders reject BELA Bill in NCOP Select Committee

The DA has carefully considered the submissions made to the Select Committee on Education and Technology, Sports, Arts and Culture in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) by various stakeholders regarding the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill, and we share the same reservations on several key aspects of the Bill.

While we acknowledge the need to update legislation to align with developments in the education landscape and uphold the right to basic education enshrined in the Constitution, we are concerned about the potential implications of certain clauses within the proposed amendments.

There appears to be consensus amongst stakeholders in their rejection of the BELA Bill, with a significant number either opposing the Bill outright or expressing partial support while raising significant objections. These objections include a range of critical issues that must be addressed before the Bill can be deemed suitable for implementation.

Of particular concern are the objections raised against the powers vested in the Head of Department (HOD), especially regarding language and admission policies of schools. We believe that any amendments granting excessive authority to HODs could undermine the autonomy of School Governing Bodies (SGBs) and may not serve the best interests of learners and communities.

While there is support for starting school from grade R, concerns exist about government’s ability to fund this initiative adequately. Some stakeholders argue against compulsory attendance at age six, emphasising the importance of considering individual child development and readiness, and calls have been made to align compulsory schooling with inclusive education principles, particularly for children with disabilities.

Furthermore, the objections regarding the regulation of home education and its curriculum, as well as the central procurement of teaching and learning materials, are valid concerns that need careful consideration. The proposed regulations must strike a balance between ensuring quality education and respecting the autonomy of parents and educators.

It is also disconcerting to note the lack of trust expressed by some stakeholders in government’s ability to implement positive changes in the education sector. This sentiment reflects broader concerns about transparency, accountability, and effective governance within the education system.

The objections raised by religious and faith-based organisations regarding potential infringements on religious principles must not be dismissed lightly. Any legislation affecting education must respect the diverse beliefs and values within our society.

While we recognise the importance of legislative updates to improve educational outcomes and ensure the rights of learners, the DA calls for thorough deliberation and careful consideration of stakeholders’ concerns before proceeding with the BELA Bill. We urge government to engage constructively with stakeholders and address the substantive issues raised to ensure that any amendments ultimately serve the best interests of all South African learners.

DA takes action to have Gordhan account for cancelled SAA/Takatso deal

Please find attached a soundbite by Dr Mimmy Gondwe MP.

Following the inevitable cancellation of the controversial SAA/Takatso deal yesterday by the Minister of Public Enterprises, Pravin Gordhan, the DA has today written to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises, Hon Khaya Magaxa, to request that Gordhan appears before Parliament, prior to its rising towards the end of this month, and account on the now canceled SAA/Takatso deal.

Gordhan must provide a detailed account, including supporting documents, of the due diligence conducted by his Department on:

  • The valuation of SAA, especially its projected future earnings – indications are that SAA was sold using an undervalued valuation;
  • The viability of the Takatso Consortium as a potential equity partner, especially its ability to raise the required capital to meet the purchase agreements.

Gordhan cannot hide behind ‘changed circumstances’ as an excuse for canceling the SAA/Takatso deal.

He knew it was a bad deal from the beginning hence his insistence on hiding the details of the sale and purchase agreements from the public, including the nefarious attempts to muzzle Parliament through non-disclosure agreements.

In addition to holding him accountable over this dud SAA/Takatso deal, Gordhan must explain how SAA will sustain itself after the 18 month period, through which he says SAA will be able to cover its operating costs. The DA will fight against any attempt to raid the Treasury for another multi billion rand bailout, those freeloading days are over.

There is no strategic need for a state run airline that diverts limited state funding away from the desperate need to stimulate economic growth. SAA must be cut loose and be sold.

180 000 unemployed South Africans lose out as CoGTA dumps R2 billion on ‘middleman’ in the Community Works Programme

Note to editors: Please find attached soundbite by Eleanore Bouw-Spies MP

For a programme that is designed to assist the poor and the unemployed, the Community Works Programme (CWP)– run by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), has a rotten underbelly that is literally taking food from the mouths of the unemployed.

In a written reply to a DA parliamentary question, the Minister of CoGTA – Thembi Nkadimeng, revealed that over the past 5 years, her Department made payments in excess of R2,8 billion to what it calls Implementing Agents (IAs) for the CWP. These IAs are nothing more than NPOs that act as a ‘glorified middleman’ for the CWP.

Using the figures provided by CoGTA, and if the Department had not made use of these ‘middleman organisations’ during the 5 year period, 182 000 more unemployed South Africans could have found short term employment under the CWP. Yet billions of rand meant for their benefit found its way into the accounts of ‘middleman’ organisations.

Between 1 October 2021 and March 2023, one of the recipient organisations for this largesse was the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) which pocketed R59 million. For an organisation that has become a playground for ANCYL functionaries and whose contribution towards creating economic opportunities for the youth is almost non-existent, the transference of money meant for CPW beneficiaries is highly irregular and a waste of taxpayers’ money.

It is not clear how these ‘middleman organisations’ are selected but for the 17 who have been beneficiaries of this windfall from CoGTA, they have – on average, pocketed R165 million each. The fees that are being paid out to these organisations, for playing an administrative function under the CWP, are highly excessive and should at the very least be investigated.

At 42%, South Africa’s unemployment rate has reached crisis levels and it therefore does not make sense to be wasting billions of rand paying a middleman when that money could have been going straight into the hands of the unemployed.

Minister Nkandimeng should stop this unethical practice of using a middleman for the CWP and use the money saved to assist more South Africans who are struggling to find jobs and help support their families. Dumping tens of millions of rand in organisations such as the NYDA, while people are out of work, is immoral and an irresponsible use of taxpayers money.

The DA supports the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill

Note to Editors: The speech below was delivered by Kevin Mileham MP (DA Shadow Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy) in Parliament today, during the debate on the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill.

House Chairperson,

There can be no denying the impact 17 years of loadshedding has had on the economic and social well-being of South Africa. 17 years of darkness, cold, and a lack of productivity, that can be laid firmly at the feet of an incompetent ANC government, its deployed cadres, its corrupt practices and its policy incoherence. 17 years in which the unemployment level has spiked to the worst in the world. 17 years in which our economic output has dwindled, and the exchange rate has skyrocketed. 17 years in which Cyril Ramaphosa, Gwede Mantashe, Pravin Gordhan and Ebrahim Patel have had their feet firmly on the neck of a once thriving electricity sector.

And the crisis we find ourselves in is not unforeseen. The bumbling ANC government were warned, as far back as 1998, that sectoral reform was necessary. That new generation was urgently required. Their own White Paper on Energy confirms this!

It is worth noting that the unbundling of ESKOM into separate generation, transmission and distribution entities was first bandied about by President Ramaphosa in early 2019. Later that same year, Hon. Mazzone introduced a private members’ bill – the Independent Electricity Management Operator Bill – which sought to facilitate exactly that.

And while there might have been elements of that Bill which we disagreed about, these could have been negotiated and compromise sought. Instead, the ANC “rejected it with the contempt it deserves” at the motion of desirability stage. Let me unpack that: we could have brought the unbundling of ESKOM forward by 5 years – 5 years! – if the ANC were willing to open their eyes and minds to the concept that not all good ideas emanate from their ranks, and that other parties can and do contribute to the improvement of South Africa.

The Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill, although approved by cabinet in April 2023, was only introduced to parliament in August of last year. This despite repeated warnings to the Minister and in this House that the delays in introduction would result in a rush to conclude the legislative process before parliament rises for the election. And so we find ourselves here today: a section 76 bill, which the National Assembly will in all likelihood pass today, which will not be able to be considered by the National Council of Provinces before the end of the 6th parliament. And that means, that it is extremely unlikely that it will be signed into law before the end of 2024.

At its core, this amendment bill seeks to create a new state owned entity – the Transmission System Operator – and to make that entity responsible for the establishment of an open market platform that allows the competitive trading of electricity. Now that’s a very interesting objective and function, enshrined within the bill, because some of the clauses that will be approved today undermine that precise object.

Specifically, by assigning the National Energy Regulator of South Africa the power to “set and approve prices and tariffs” as per clause 5 of the bill, we are, in essence, removing competition from the playing field. It is, in fact, the antithesis of competition. Everyone will have to conform to a price determined by NERSA. And it should be pointed out that NERSA did not want this power – they claimed they lack the capacity to monitor and enforce it.

A further concern relates to the broad powers assigned to the Minister to make determinations for new or additional generation capacity. In the amended section 34, the Minister is granted the power to deviate from the Integrated Resource Plan – the country’s roadmap for electricity generation and procurement – in making these determinations, in an “emergency”, “in the national interest” or when there is a “failure of the market”. But none of these scenarios are defined in the Bill, and therefore it is left to the Minister to determine what they are.

The proposed section 35B sets out offences and penalties in terms of the Act. One of the changes to the draft bill which the ANC pushed through forcefully in committee, is the removal of the word “willfully”. In so doing, it criminalizes even accidental damage, removal or destruction of electricity generation, transmission and reticulation infrastructure, cables or equipment. What this means, is that you would be guilty of a criminal act if you hit a pothole while driving down the road and crashed into a street light. The bill makes no provision for accidental damage or destruction of such property.

The bill further sets the maximum penalty for person (whether natural or juristic) who contravenes the provisions of the Act, or who without lawful authority, damages, removes or destroys transmission, distribution or reticulation cables, equipment or infrastructure at 5 years imprisonment and/or a R1 million fine.

But this is significantly less than a person who receives electricity infrastructure, cables, equipment etc. from a person who they do not have reasonable cause to believe is duly authorized by the owner of those items to deal with or dispose thereof. In this latter case, the penalty is set at a maximum of 10 years imprisonment and/or a R5 million fine.

Chairperson, the portfolio committee had an opportunity to make good legislation. As has become the norm with the ANC, they blew it. We remain concerned that the creation of a Transmission System Operator state owned entity, as envisaged by the bill, does not go far enough to ensure the independence of the unbundled entity.

A World Bank report from 2002 notes that a Transmission System Operator “must be independent of the ownership and control of market participants (e.g. generators, distributors and suppliers).” It goes on to state that independence is required “so that the Transmission System Operator does not discriminate in favor of one market participant over another.”

The Department of Public Enterprises has suggested that independence is unnecessary, given the unbundling of ESKOM into 3 separate entities (generation, transmission and distribution), all housed under ESKOM holdings and with the government as the sole shareholder. But the World Bank has a view on this too: “functional unbundling”, or the idea “that allows the grid operator to remain within a larger power enterprise that owns generation and transmission facilities, but tries to establish detailed conduct rules so that the grid operator will act as if it is separate, even though it really isn’t” is fraught with problems.

It does not work for two reasons: firstly, it conflicts with the normal incentives of any commercial enterprise to try to protect the profits of its parent/affiliated companies”; and secondly, “it is virtually impossible for the regulator to enforce the rules”.

Despite these misgivings, it is vital that the system operator be established and the electricity sector opened up to private sector participation. The Democratic Alliance will support the bill.

DA calls on Minister Patel to address governance crisis in Trade and Industry institutions

On January 2, 2024, I submitted a written question to the Minister of Trade, Industry, and Competition (DTIC), Ebrahim Patel, seeking clarification on critical governance issues within Standards, Quality Assurance, Accreditation, and Metrology institutions under his jurisdiction.

The questions raised pertained to the status of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), the presence of acting CEOs, the advertising of vacant CEO positions, and the production of CEO shortlists within these institutions. Minister Patel’s response failed to adequately address these concerns. Instead, he vaguely mentioned consultations with the National Treasury to explore cost reduction measures and potential mergers, offering no concrete timelines or public processes. See the question and reply here.

Regrettably, Minister Patel’s inaction has precipitated a governance crisis within these institutions. As disclosed in yesterday’s Standing Committee on Trade, Industry, and Competition, two vacancies on the Board of the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) remain unfilled. This negligence has left these entities operating without full-time accounting officers and board members, imperiling their effectiveness and integrity.

It was only after persistent pressure from the DA that Minister Patel took steps to appoint board members to the SABS, lifting it out of administration. However, the presentation provided by the SABS in Parliament highlighted concerning staff vacancies and unfilled positions, indicative of an incomplete organisational review.

Of particular concern was the presentation of a net profit of R47 million for Quarter One, primarily attributed to savings on staff costs (i.e., staff vacancies), significant reductions in expenditure, and fortuitous gains in financial income. This raises questions about the sustainability and transparency of the institutions under Minister Patel’s oversight.

The DA seeks clarity from Minister Patel on his plans to address this governance crisis. He must take immediate action to fill vacant CEO positions, appoint board members, and ensure the effective functioning of these vital institutions. Failure to do so risks further erosion of public trust and undermines the integrity of South Africa’s standards and quality assurance mechanisms.

We await Minister Patel’s response and urge him to prioritise the stability and accountability of these institutions for the betterment of all South Africans

Gordhan and Ramaphosa’s Cabinet must be held accountable for the ‘dud’ SAA/Takatso deal

The announcement by the Minister of Public Enterprises, Pravin Gordhan, that the ‘dud’ SAA/Takatso deal has been cancelled was inevitable given that it was a bad deal from the beginning. Gordhan’s stubborn insistence on keeping details of the deal secret and the Takatso Consortium’s insistence for more taxpayer funds before the deal could be consummated, were clear red flags.

Gordhan, together with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Cabinet – who collectively approved the deal, must now be held accountable for failing to exercise due diligence before entering into sale negotiations with Takatso. They all failed in their fiduciary duties as custodians of a state asset and should bear responsibility for any losses that taxpayers may have incurred during the period when the deal was supposedly in force.

The taxpayer took on all SAA’s massive liabilities of some R15 billion leaving SAA debt free with considerable assets including a respected brand all of which had a likely value that exceeded R7 billion. For 51% of this debt free SAA to be sold for R51 was outrageous and a slap in the face of taxpayers.

The DA will be demanding that Gordhan tables the contract termination documents that he entered into with Takatso to terminate the deal. After spending years refusing to release the purchase agreement, South Africans at least deserve to know the reasons behind the termination of the dud SAA/Takatso deal.

Today’s announcement is an epitaph to what has been a disastrous tenure for Gordhan as the Minister of Public Enterprises. His announcement that he will be resigning at the end of the current administration is a little too late as he has left a trail of destruction in his wake. SAA will once again become a burden on the South African taxpayer because he failed to exercise due diligence in finding a viable partner for the airline.

SAA is now a clear example of how the ANC government has mishandled SOEs and drove most of them to the brink of bankruptcy. There is no strategic need for a state run airline that diverts limited State funding away from the desperate need to stimulate economic growth. SAA must be cut loose and be sold.

Expropriation Bill riddled with procedural irregularity in NCOP

Please find attached a soundbite by Tim Brauteseth MP.

As the unconstitutional Expropriation Bill slowly makes its way through the Committee of the National Council of Provinces, it has left a trail of material irregularities and disinterest in complying with proper procedures by the ANC-governed provinces.

In a Bill which is highly consequential to our nation, the voting mandates that are needed by each of the provinces to vote on the Bill have been slap dashed together, or worse, created out of thin air without any backing of the provincial legislatures. But it seems like some provinces, like Gauteng, Eastern Cape, and Limpopo, are rushing this process. Instead of the whole provincial legislature deciding, only committees within the legislatures are making the decisions.

For example, Gauteng had an online meeting at the eleventh hour in order to finalise the mandate and allegedly invoked a Rule in the Standing Orders which allows the Speaker on their own accord, to sign off the mandate without a form of resolution by the legislature. This goes against the very foundation of proportional representation and effectively removes the voices of tens of thousands of citizens whose public representatives have effectively been barred from proceedings.

The ANC knows that as long as 5 out of the 9 provinces vote in favour of this unconstitutional Bill, it does not need to ensure compliance with the remaining 3 provinces as they have already received the numbers. However, what this fatally flawed logic achieves, is removing the voices of potentially tens of millions of South Africans who are now unrepresented in Parliament – an action so fatally defective, that it will strike to the heart of the validity of the Bill.

These tactics show that the ANC is hell bent on bulldozing this legislation through Parliament before the election on 29 May 2024, to ensure it can use it as a cheap political tool to try and stave off their rapidly declining voter support. Like a rat trapped with nowhere to go, it will do anything and everything to survive.

Women and children are the largest victims of GBV-related crimes committed by SAPS officers in Q2 of 2023/24

On 8 March 2024, while the rest of the world celebrated International Women’s Day, 4 women were murdered and 66 were violently assaulted in South Africa. This is according to a report submitted to the Portfolio Committee on Police earlier today.

It was also revealed to the Committee that between April and September last year, 165 SAPS members – the very officers who are charged with keeping us all safe and secure – were identified as alleged perpetrators of domestic violence themselves.

According to the Civilian Secretariat for Police (CSPS), some 84 firearms (79 of which were SAPS-issued) were seized from these members following the allegations.

The report confirms what the DA has been highlighting for years, that women and children are not safe in this country under an ANC government. During the final three months of 2023, 285 children and 1,135 women were murdered, and 18,474 women and 2,281 children were violently assaulted. A clear indication that criminals have no fear of repercussion or prison due to the ineffectiveness of our SAPS.

Bheki Cele has continued to show he is incompetent to manage policing in South Africa. He remains in this position for one simple reason, the ANC simply does not care about the safety and security of its citizens. It will only be through the ballot on 29 May 2024, that Cele and every other inept minister will be removed from power. Under a DA government, which will be a caring government, will ensure that:

  • Police functions are devolved to capable provinces and local governments to effectively fight crime and protect citizens;
  • The SAPS’ bloated senior management is reduced, freeing up resources for more recruits and increased procurement for essential equipment;
  • Promotions are only given on merit;
  • Lifestyle audits are conducted for all senior police management; and
  • Through public-private partnerships, the whole of our society, including private security and neighbourhood watches, are included in the fight against crime.

The DA will not accept the mediocrity of the ANC in managing the SAPS and will be submitting questions to the Minister to find out whether each of these 165 officers has been fired and charged, and if not, how does the Minister justify continuing to employ persons who are meant to protect women and children from domestic abuse, not cause it.

COSATU opposes Bill to stabilise public debt

Note to editors: Please find attached soundbite by Dr Dion George MP

Today the Standing Committee on Finance (SCOF) deliberated on public submissions from relevant stakeholders regarding the DA’s Responsible Spending Private Member’s Bill. None of whom had opposed the intention of the Bill and the spirit in which it was introduced, which is to protect the most vulnerable in our society by containing the unsustainable accrual of public debt and excessive deficit spending.

A government, like any entity, must operate within its means. When a government consistently spends more than it earns in revenue, a budget deficit forms. To secure the funds necessary to fund this expenditure, the ANC has resorted to excessive deficit financing via increased debt issuance, the funds of which were not channelled to infrastructure development or service delivery. Instead, it was used to sustain salary increases of the ANC’s cadre millionaire managers who add little to no value to the sector.

Over time this unchecked cycle of spending and borrowing has pushed our public finances to a crisis point. Our public debt burden has surged from just 27% of GDP in 2008 to 72.2% (R5.207 trillion) in 2024/25 as per the February National Budget. The Budget revised the debt stabilisation target to 75.3% of GDP by the fiscal year 2025/26.

The cost associated with servicing the increasing debt stockpile has been the fastest-growing item on the Budget and continues to occupy an increasing share of GDP and revenue. As a result, debt-service costs have risen from R307.2 billion to R356 billion in the span of a year. This means that we pay nearly R1 billion per day to service debt that has little to no positive impact on the living standards of vulnerable South Africans who are battling a government-induced cost-of-living crisis.

In anticipation of the fiscal crisis that currently besets our economy, the DA presented a proactive solution in the form of our Responsible Spending Bill. The Bill will introduce a fiscal rule to act as a guide towards more responsible spending. It will stabilize our fiscal environment and encourage a forward-thinking approach to budget planning.

Currently, South Africa stands out for having implemented an expenditure rule without accompanying it with a debt rule. Treasury’s reliance on an expenditure rule without a debt rule to support it has limited its ability to contain government spending in response to revenue shortfalls. Despite efforts to control spending, this approach has contributed to a rapid deterioration of our debt-to-GDP ratio.

The Responsible Spending Bill will introduce a strategic shift in fiscal policy by integrating a debt rule into the existing expenditure framework. This approach is designed to reinforce fiscal discipline by setting sustainable limits on government debt and expenditure. It will in this manner ensure that spending decisions align better with long-term economic stability and growth objectives.

Our Responsible Spending Bill marks the beginning of a disciplined approach to safeguard our financial future. The DA will always welcome constructive criticism; it is unfortunate that COSATU attempted to frame the Bill as an attack on frontline workers and in doing so politicise the debate around unsustainable debt. It is also telling that COSATU did not comment on the Bill when the DA presented it to NEDLAC and attempted to mislead the Committee by stating that the DA had not attempted to engage with them.

The Bill is in fact pro-worker since it implicitly incentivises growth-seeking behaviour. This is why debt-to-GDP ratios are used. If growth increases, the ratio decreases at an accelerated rate because the denominator is going up. Government can also therefore borrow more, if needed. Therefore, in order to prevent what COSATU says will be the collapse of the public sector, government must create an environment that will generate growth.

Despite National Treasury’s announcement that it will introduce fiscal anchor, nothing of the sort has been implemented or even brought to Committee. The Responsible Spending Bill is the only proposal on the table. Voting against it will be to vote against the future best interest of all South Africans.

No child will ever go to bed hungry again in the Eastern Cape under a DA government

Fellow South Africans,

It is my privilege to be in the beautiful Eastern Cape today to launch the DA’s plan to rescue this province.

This is a province with a proud heritage.

It is rich in cultural diversity, natural beauty and was the birthplace of great South Africans, including our country’s first democratically-elected president.

The Eastern Cape also has all the ingredients it needs to become a truly global hub for manufacturing and agricultural export.

But the truth is that, as things stand, the future of this great province has never looked bleaker.

Despite all of its potential, its talented people, and its bountiful natural resources, more than any other part of our country, the Eastern Cape has come to embody the way in which the ANC has betrayed South Africa.

Nowhere in this country do people suffer the hardship caused by three decades of corruption and mismanagement in a more painful and direct way, than right here in the Eastern Cape.

The province that was once synonymous with industrial manufacturing and friendly people, has now come to be associated with something else.

Hunger.

The ANC has turned the Eastern Cape into a province of hunger, starvation and hardship.

It is in the Eastern Cape that a mother is forced to end the lives of her own children, because she cannot bear the pain of watching them starve to death.

Just a few months ago, outside Butterworth, a thirty-eight-year-old mother mixed rat poison with the last food she had in her house, and fed it to her three starving young children before hanging herself.

The bodies of what had once been a beautiful family, were only discovered days later when the debt collector she had turned to as a desperate last attempt to keep her family alive, showed up at the door.

This is just one of the tragic stories of thousands of families that go to bed hungry every night in this province.

Today, as we speak, more than a quarter of all children younger than five are stunted – smaller than they are supposed to be at that age – because of chronic malnutrition.

The South African Human Rights Commission recently reported on thousands of cases where children were diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition in the Eastern Cape.

In today’s Eastern Cape, children are dying from hunger.

This is the ANC’s legacy in the Eastern Cape.

From a province of hope, to a province of hunger.

We must urgently rescue this province from the spiralling crisis of hunger, poverty and the exploding cost of living, before it is too late.

That is why the DA is here today to launch our manifesto to rescue the Eastern Cape.

Like any crisis response, the DA’s rescue plan addresses both acute, urgent needs, as well as the systemic changes we need to get the Eastern Cape back on track.

Immediately after the election on 29 May, a DA government would implement the recommendation by the Human Rights Commission to declare hunger in the Eastern Cape as a disaster in terms of the Disaster Management Act.

This would free up the resources we need in the immediate, to get more food into the bellies of hungry children and families.

The DA’s rescue plan also includes increasing the child support grant to the food poverty line, to R760 per month.

This would immediately put an extra R250 into the hands of caregivers to be able to afford enough food for their children.

But our immediate response to this crisis will go further still.

The DA will also make food cheaper.

Over the past few years, due to the corruption and mismanagement of the ANC, the food they used to eat every day has suddenly become unaffordable for millions people.

The DA is the only party with a plan to directly tackle the cost of living crisis by making food more affordable.

Our rescue plan will achieve this by expanding the number of food items that are exempt from Value-Added Tax.

This will immediately lead to a 15% reduction in the cost of essential items, including baby food, beans and chicken.

In this election, a vote for the DA is a vote to put food back on your family’s table.

But our rescue plan does not only focus on urgent and immediate solutions.

A DA government will also tackle the root causes of the poverty crisis in the Eastern Cape.

There is a reason why hunger and hardship is highest in this province.

The reason is because the Eastern Cape has the highest unemployment rate in the whole South Africa.

Our country as a whole already has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world.

But, in the Eastern Cape, unemployment is the worst of the worst.

Nearly 42% of working-age people in this province cannot find work.

When we include the number of people who have given up on ever finding a job, that figure rises to 47%.

Out of every 100 young people looking for work in this province, over 70 will never find a job if things remain as they are.

But things cannot remain as they are.

With a new government anchored by the DA, we will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs in this province.

Instead of stealing public funds, we will invest that money in infrastructure to ignite job creation.

Instead of keeping young people out of work, we will give young people a head start in the job market through our Youth Employment Opportunity Certificate that will incentivise businesses to employ young people.

By taking immediate and urgent action against the poverty and hunger crisis, and by creating the conditions for businesses to thrive and create jobs, the DA’s rescue plan will bring an end to the excruciating suffering of children, of gogos, and of parents in the Eastern Cape.

Our commitment to the people of this province is clear: elect the DA into government here, and we will ensure that no child ever goes to bed hungry again!

Even as we tackle poverty and unemployment head on, rather than ignoring it like the current governing party is doing, the DA’s rescue plan for the Eastern Cape does not end there.

We have a battle-tested plan to end loadshedding and water-shedding.

Decades of neglect by the current governing party has caused the taps to run dry in towns across this province.

All of us depend on water to stay alive, so the fact that the ANC has taken that water away from communities, poses a direct threat to their health and lives.

In addition to dramatically increasing investment in infrastructure repair and maintenance, the DA will roll out in the Eastern Cape the same solutions that have already reduced loadshedding in other places where we govern, including Cape Town.

We will make it possible for private homes and businesses to sell their excess electricity back to the grid, which we will then distribute to those who have no electricity.

We will also fight violent crime in this province like never before, with more boots on the ground in the Northern Areas, in Umtata, and in East London, and fewer generals sitting around in Pretoria.

We will bring to an end the gang crime that terrorises our communities, by employing the latest technology and evidence-based local policing to root out these syndicates.

A DA government will also abolish cadre deployment corruption once and for all.

Instead of appointing cadres to serve the ANC, we will appoint competent police officers and competent officials at all levels of government to serve the people.

I see Deputy President Paul Mashatile yesterday again defended cadre deployment.

He even said cadre deployment has been “brilliant.”

This says everything we need to know about the ANC.

They think it is “brilliant” that their cadres destroyed Eskom so you no longer have electricity in your house.

They think it is “brilliant” that their cadres have destroyed water infrastructure so your taps run dry.

They think it is “brilliant” to send the same cadres who were implicated in state capture by the Zondo Commission right back to Parliament.

I have news for Mr Mashatile.

Cadre deployment has only been “brilliant” for the looters and thieves who have bled our country dry.

And it will truly be a brilliant day when the DA comes to power to abolish cadre deployment and slaps handcuffs onto crooks like him.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The DA has a credible and costed plan to rescue the Eastern Cape from the hardship its people endure on a daily basis.

Unlike other parties, our plan is not plucked out of thin air.

It is based on our decades of experience in government in places like Kouga, like Midvaal, and like the Western Cape.

The DA knows that we’re talking about when it comes to fixing what the ANC has broken.

That is our pledge to the people of the Eastern Cape.

Give the DA a chance by voting for us on 29 May so that we can end hunger, create jobs, end loadshedding and water-shedding, fight crime, abolish cadre deployment, fix our schools, and build quality hospitals and clinics for our communities.

In this election, we must rescue our children from starvation.

In this election, we must rescue ourselves from unemployment, crime, loadshedding and water-shedding.

In this election, there is too much at stake for the people of the Eastern Cape to stay home.

If you want to rescue the Eastern Cape before it is too late, come out on 29 May and vote DA!

Thank you.